In late September, government leaders, businesses, young people, cities, celebrities, entrepreneurs, civil society, and more came together in New York to focus on urgent – and deeply interconnected – global issues.

Five of the major themes that emerged from the whirlwind week include:

Knowing Where We Are, and Where We Need to Be, on SDG & Climate Action

A constant refrain throughout the week was reaching a more granular understanding of where we are – and actions critically needed — for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate agendas. Progress continues to be made in key areas like poverty eradication, energy access, and child mortality. New actors are orienting their work in these two agendas.

Youth Claim Their Seat at the Table

At nearly a quarter of the world’s population, young people – who represent the fastest growing population in several regions of the world – are helping to drive new ideas and solutions on key issues. To better engage young people, the UN launched Youth2030, its first-ever Youth Strategy to pivot from working for young people to working with them to understand their needs, put their ideas into action, and ensure their voices are heard.

Innovative Solutions and the Role of the Private Sector Intertwine

Throughout the week, the importance of innovative solutions – and the entrepreneurs and private sector leaders behind them – were top of mind.

Getting Ahead of Emerging Issues

Although we are only on the brink of understanding emerging issues such as new technologies and anti-microbial resistance, they were central to the discussion at the UN. Emerging technologies have the potential to rapidly accelerate progress toward the SDGs. But as the Secretary-General warned, they also present new international security challenges and have the potential to exacerbate inequalities.

Multilateralism Matters

An undercurrent of all of these themes was a firm belief in the critical role of multilateralism. World leaders spanning political affiliations reaffirmed the commitment of international cooperation and a strengthened UN. In his address to the General Assembly, the Secretary-General underscored the urgency of the moment: “Multilateralism is under fire precisely when we need it most.”

Giving Compass' Take:
• Christine Mendonca and Negar Tayyar explain why funders need to shift to an asset-based framework to make an impact on refugee crises.
• How can funders shift away from a deficit-based funding framework? How does the narrative around refugees impact the amount and type of help they receive?
• Find out how refugees are powering a grassroots aid movement.
What is frequently described as a “refugee crisis” is more a crisis in response. Current response frameworks and mechanisms are outdated and are not equipped to manage the complexities of global forced displacement at this scale. These systems often ignore the broad range of needs of people who are forcibly displaced, as well as the needs of local communities where they live.
Take grantmaking, for example. There are two frameworks for funding: asset-based and deficit-based. Deficit-based funding emphasizes what impacted communities lack and looks at ways to apply resources, including monetary resources, to address those gaps. By contrast, an asset-based framework recognizes and builds on the resources each stakeholder brings to the table.
Deficit-based framing prevents us from seeing and acknowledging the resiliency and capacities of people on the move. These are people who have life experience, talents and skills they can bring to bear to address the complex challenges of forced displacement. An asset-based framework approaches them as a potential source of value, part of creating a solution, rather than a burden.
Read the full article about an asset-based funding framework by Christine Mendonca and Negar Tayyar at News Deeply.

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